Cardcaptors II
by RowanAsterCode
Summary: CCS Sequel- Tarah Avalon is a normal girl- asides form the fact she loves Cardcaptor Sakura stories, is very sporty, and was almost drowned by Watery before she knew CCS was real! Now it's her job to seal all the Sakura Cards- but there may be a bump in the road. The cards are violent, & Kaity and Tobias suddenly appear at her school- both meaning to capture the cards, too.*HIATUS*
1. Prelude

Cardcaptors II

Prelude

"Ah," I sighed, shaking my head. "Oh, I wish it wasnt over!"  
I collapsed on my bed and looked at my clock. Yeah, I was supposed to be asleep three hours ago. Well, hello, Wednesday.  
It wasn't my fault, though. I just couldn't tear my eyes away from the Cardcaptor Sakura books... Or movies... Or TV series... Or anything else CCS-related! Wanna blame someone, blame CLAMP for making such an awesome series!  
My door opened suddenly.  
"Squirt, go to bed!" said Corey, my older brother. "I have midterms tomorrow, and if I dont ace them, I'm blamin' you!"  
He slammed the door shut, and I started getting under the covers when the door slowly opened again.  
"Tarah?" said my mom, May. "It IS time to go to bed, you know. You have midterms tomorrow, too."  
"Yes, Mom, I know! " I replied. "It's just- It's Cardcaptor SAKURA! I can't help it, you know!"  
My mom came in and sat down on my bed. "Yes, I know, Tarah. It's your little... Out-of-character obsession, like... Like tutu girls like combat boots. But you can't lose sleep over it." She sighed. "If you go to bed now, I'll tell you a secret."  
I climbed under the covers and looked at my mom.  
"When I was your age, I was obsessed with Cardcaptor Sakura stories, too. I became so sure I was gonna be the next Cardcaptor, I even started blaming things like house fires and hurricanes on the Clow Cards- or sometimes, when I remembered about them, the Sakura Star Cards. I loved to relish in my fantasies… until my grades suffered. Then, my mother said no more Cardcaptor Sakura. So I had to stop, grow up. Until I met someone very special- someone who encouraged me to keep my fantasy, encouraged me to become the author I am now." Mom tilted her head to the side and looked out the window. She smiled. "Someone who let me believe that what I wanted to be real was real." She turned back to me. "That person was your father."  
"Aw, Mom!" I winced. "I KNEW it was gonna end with something Dad!"  
"Oh, alright, my little Cardcaptor- you gotta go to bed."  
"Mom- I'm thirteen in four..." I looked at the clock again. "Three days! You can stop babying me now!"  
"Stop reminding me," she chuckled. My mom stood up. "Now go to sleep. I think we woke up Talia. Good night, Tarah." She walked out and quietly shut my door.  
I sighed and laid down. But before I fell asleep, I swore I saw a flash of green and pink go past my window.

Little did I know that that flash I saw was attached to the clothing of two people- one, a boy wearing a green robe, and another, a girl wearing a fluffy pink costume.  
The girl pulled out a peice of card-stock-like material. She mumbled something, and it turned into a staff. She sat on it, then pulled the boy up behind her. They rose into the sky, like witches on a broomstick.  
A little toy flew up behind them.  
It shuddered. "Did you see the way that lady looked at me? I swear, this is one weird town!"  
"We can't stay much longer," said the boy.  
"I know," replied the girl. "Even our combined magic isn't strong enough to keep us here in this state for much longer."  
"Well, do you sense anyone? Cuz if you don't, then this entire trip has been totally-"  
"Yes."  
The boy's head turned toward the girl. "WHO? Who's gonna be the next Cardcaptor?"  
The girl smiled as she replied, " I sense multiple canidates. Like with us. And I think Eriol's already chosen a canidate as well. Only time will tell who succeeds in capturing all the Cards."


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I was dreaming.  
I saw a book and a stuffed animal with wings; then I saw water and fire; tornadoes and earthquakes.  
Then I saw a boy and two girls, standing next to each other; wielding what looked like magical objects- the first girl, a wand; the second girl, a staff; and the boy, a sword.  
Who are you?, I thought.  
The moon rose, and a figure appeared in front of it.  
Rectangles floated down around them.  
Cards.

My alarm clock beeped.  
"Gah!" I said, as I woke up.  
I grabbed the clock.  
7:29.  
School starts at 7:45.  
It takes me ten minutes to get ready and have breakfast and ten minutes to get to school. Plus I had to meet up with someone.  
"I'm gonna be LATE!"  
I jumped out of bed. Today was not the day to make it. Forget making breakfast- I'd be lucky to get to school by the time the late bell rang.  
I sprinted around the room, shoving my books on my backpack, grabbing my uniform- I'll explain later, and yanking off my pjs to change.  
I slammed the bathroom door shut as I pulled on my shoes. I squirted the toothpaste on my brush hecticly, and shoved it in my mouth. I splashed water on my face, and sprinted downstairs.  
I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, and smiled at the sight of my sleek black (native american) hair and tan skin- my dad's traits- paired with my mom's dark, Chinese eyes. It was an awkward combo to some people, but, hey, it was sorta adorable to me- adorable followed by a text-talk heart.  
"Hey, Mom! Hey, Corey! Hey, Talia!" I said. I smacked a little kiss on Talia's cheek. Hey, it's acceptable- she's four! "Hey, Dad!" I said to his picture.  
Long story short: he disappeared mysteriously after Mom found out she was pregnant with Talia. We even had a memorial service at church in his honor- even though he was only one of many firefighters in our town, almost everyone knew and loved him. Mom kept his picture out all the time, so it was almost like he was always with us.  
"Morning, Jiminy Cricket," said Corey. I sighed. He loved making fun of me being short, and him having inherited my dad's tall stature, and I was the shortest in my family. Asides from Talia, cuz she's still really young. But Corey's the only kid with black hair, so I prepared a little retort for today.  
"Hey, Black Widow!" My brother shuddered. One, he hates spiders, and two, he has a total crush on the lady who plays Black Widow in Avengers. Oh, and he hates his black hair. Tarah: 1, Corey: 0.  
"Tarah," warned my mom, "You're gonna be late for school!"  
She tucked her black bob behind her ear, her dark eyes glistening. She was one of the prettiest ladies I've ever seen. And she didnt let short stature or black hair get to her.  
I smiled. "Right. Bye, Mom!"  
I hopped on my scooter and gripped the handle bars tightly as I rolled down the driveway.  
The view really is beautiful here, I thought as I rode down the street. We had moved to Tomoeda a couple weeks ago. I was ecstatic. After all, Sakura supposedly lived here! I was even going to a school named just like hers!  
Admittedly, I'd prefer a pair of shorts to a pleated skirt any day... Hey! I was gonna tell you about my uniform!  
It's a white sailor top with navy edging. We have a choice of a vest or a jacket; I chose the navy jacket... And added some emblem pins and stray safety pins. More my style. As I said before, we have to wear navy skirts. We could wear whatever shoes we wanted, but my mom insisted on classic penny loafers cuz of tradition- she grew up here, too.  
I had managed to make some friends since I moved here, most of whom lived in my neighborhood. Speaking of friends...  
"Hey, Kaiti! Hey, Brooke! Hey, Grace!" I said, as I skidded to a stop in front of our meeting place.  
"You're late!" said Brooke, snapping a hair band over the end of her braid.  
"Well, don't hold us up!" I replied, kicking again and grabbing her hand as I rolled by, forcing her roller skates into high gear.  
Kaiti laughed, and rolled behind us on her skateboard, leaving Grace to pedal behind her on her bike.  
We sprinted through the door of the classroom as the final bell was ringing.  
Grace cheered. "We made it!"  
Mrs. Hempley cleared her throat. We slipped into our seats, Brooke's head hanging in shame.  
I tugged out my notebook and pencils, then another identical notebook, but with a small pink bookmark in it. I use the bookmarked notebook for sketching, and use the plain one for taking notes. No one knew the difference but me.  
"Tarah?" asked Mrs. Hempley. "Care to join the class?"  
I sighed. First period of my first day of school, and one teacher already hated my guts.  
"Sorry, Mrs. Hempley."  
This was gonna be a long school year.

"I just don't get it!" I complained to my friends on the way home. "Why does EVERY teacher hate my guts? I mean, sure, I tend to be a little late, but I was always a straight-A student!"  
"Give them time," said Kaiti. "They'll warm up to ya, once they see that your grades are even better than Brooke's." Brooke glared at her. "And Mrs. Dare is still on vacation, then Mrs Graecian's gonna be on maternity leave, so there's two teachers you can still make a good impression on!"  
"Well, you can hope," said Grace.  
"Aww, shaddup!" I replied.  
"Hey, it's true!"  
"Humph."  
"Fine."  
"Fine."  
"Uh- huh."  
"Uh- huh."  
"SHADDUP!" said Kaiti.  
"Why? It's true!" sputtered Grace.  
"No, it's not," said Brooke. "I'm sure you'll be okay, Tarah!"  
Sakura's invincible spell, I thought.  
"Thanks, Brooke," I said as we walked up to my house. "See you guys tomorrow!"  
Now I just gotta believe it, I thought. I will surely be alright. I will surely be alright.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for chapter's shortness- It looks longer on my phone!


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I slid into the kitchen. The floors are slick in penny loafers!  
No one else was home yet, I noticed.  
Then something clattered in the basement.  
No one was home, right? No car in the garage; no shoes by the door; Corey's class doesn't even end for another 5 minutes, much less his 30 minute bus ride home.  
So, what was that… please, dear lord, dont let it be a robber…  
I thought of what Sakura did in this situation. Funny, she went through this, too… but with a ghost- as she believed.  
I grabbed my baseball bat and a butter knife- better than nothing. I slid that into my pocket. I wouldve grabbed my bow and arrows, but they were in the basement, too.  
You can tell I was freaking out.  
I slowly crept downstairs. I snuck around a little, looking for someone. No one. Then what was that…  
Something clattered again- by the bookshelves! I quietly walked over. No one.  
Then the sound came again- from RIGHT NEXT TO ME.  
I pivoted quickly, and in front of me was a… card?  
Then I realized what it was.  
"Corey, are you here? Is this some kind of sick joke? Its not nice to use someone's imagination against them!"  
I checked my watch again. Wait… he had a club today, too. He wouldnt skip baseball just to scare me… so…  
"IT'S AN ACTUAL SAKURA-STAR CARD?!"  
I was just able to make out that it said 'Watery' before it started leaking. Then flowing. Then rushing out.  
I started hyperventilating.  
"Chill out, whydontcha!?" said a voice.  
I pivoted on my foot.  
A little yellow stuffed animal with big ears and wings was floating by me.  
"Well? Hurry it up!" it said. It could TALK?!  
I recognized it then.  
"KERO?!"  
"That's Keroberos to you!"  
"THAT'S A SAKURA STAR CARD?!"  
The water was up to my ankles by now.  
"Quick, put it back in the book!" said Kero.  
"Uh, right," I said. "WHERE IS THE BOOK?!"  
Kero facepalmed, then pointed to the desk.  
"Oh."  
The water was rising fast, faster, even faster. It was gaining speed as it rose. It was already up to my knees.  
I shuffled through the water for the desk, for the book. I had to trap the card before it flooded the house!  
The water was holding me back, though. It was moving the desk away whenever I got close, and tugging at my ankles. It was by my waist now.  
A small whirlpool started forming, and a lock of wet hair appeared, followed by ears and a crown, then eyes…  
"Quick, grab the book!" yelled Kero, breaking me out of my trance.  
I realized the water was already at my… erm, EMPIRE waist.  
I lunged for the book. The water was already touching it!  
I barely made contact when the water got tight around my chest… then bound my hands and feet… and dragged me under. This all happened in less than a second.  
I screamed as a vicious face appeared over me. The figure was feminine and beautiful, but the snarl did nothing to assist that. It helped show what was really on the inside.  
She pushed down on me, holding me on the carpet. I completely dropped the book as I thrashed around, trying to get up.  
"No, no, no, NO!" I heard Kero scream. He bit Watery's figure, but she just splashed him off. He looked at the open book… with no cards. Watery was acting like this because she wasn't sealed.  
I realized that I couldn't get up past Watery. She'd keep me down anyway. But… I couldn't give up. I'd… I'd die. I had to get rid of Watery. Otherwise she'd just keep doing this. I didn't remember Watery being evil, but she doesn't know better. Not without a Cardcaptor!  
I was starting to black out when I felt a weight on my hand… a warm, inviting weight… a cylinder… a… wand. Sakura's wand.  
It started glowing suddenly, and Watery flew backwards. I dont exactly know what happened, but all of a sudden, I was up, gasping for air, Sakura's wand still in my hand.  
"Kid, you okay?" yelled Kero. I shook my head. The water was so high, my feet couldn't touch the ground anymore.  
"Kid, listen- say exactly this: Card of Sakura…"  
"Card of Sakura…"  
"Return to the form you were meant to be!" Kero said, my voice joining with his.  
"SAKURA STAR CARD!" we yelled in unison.  
Watery seemed to freeze, then she was sucked into the wand's blazing light. The water drained. The light dimmed, and the original card softly glided into my hand.  
"Woah."  
"Yeah," said Kero. He turned to me. "So how'd you summon Sakura's wand like that, kid?"  
"Um, my name's Tarah, just so ya know. And what do you mean by 'summon'?"  
"I mean, how'd you get Sakura's wand?"  
"What?"  
"When you were under the water?"  
"You… you didn't say an enchantment or something to give it to me?"  
"Nope, kid. Not one word."  
"You… DIDN'T say anything?"  
He looked at me.  
"Oh… so what happened that let me have it?"  
"That's what I was asking you!"  
"Well, obviously I don't know!"  
"TARAH!"  
"KERO!" I mimicked.  
"Shut up!"  
"No way!"  
"Yes, way!"  
"No!"  
"Shaddup!"  
"You shaddup!"  
"Really?!"  
"Really!"  
"Fine!"  
"Fine!"  
"Humph!"  
"Humph!"  
We glared at each other.  
Kero held his breath, and his face grew red. Then he exploded- figuratively, of course- clarifying cuz he's a magical creature.  
"You know, I wouldn't expect Sakura to have chosen such a stubborn canidate!"  
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"  
"I SAID YOU'RE STUBBORN, KID!"  
"SHUT UP, KERO!"  
"YOU'RE JUST LIKE THE KID YOU KNOW THAT?!"  
"SO YOU'RE COMPAIRING ME TO... Li Syaoran was real, too?!"  
Kero sighed. "I give! Yes, Li was real! Airhead!"  
"I thought you said you gave!"  
"WELL I DIDN'T!"  
"WELL, I WOULD'VE THOUGHT SAKURA WOULD HAVE CHOSEN A LESS STUBBORN GUARDIAN!"  
"Don't you DARE diss on Sakura!"  
"And why not?!"  
"She was the best master anyone could have had!"  
"Really?! If she was so good, then why didn't she do anything to stop the disaster from happening again?! Because, as far as I'm aware, if the cards are out of the book, then that means she didn't stop it!"  
Kero froze and looked at me, his face going pale.  
I clamped my hand over my mouth, feeling my face going red.  
"Kero… I really just said that, didn't I… Kero, I'm so sorry… I like Saku-"  
"You did that on purpose. You did that on purpose." He scoffed. "Why would Sakura choose someone like you for a canidate? Someone so…"  
I sighed. "Cruddy? Kero… Kero, I swear to you, I do like Sakura. Everything about her. I love all the books, and the movies, and the tv series. I wished Sakura was real more than anything. I wanted to be the Cardcaptor. Now all of that is coming true, and… and it's so much for me to process. I… I sorta feel… like its my fault that the seal was broken. I wanted to be one so bad… I wanted to be able to blame the seal breaking on someone, so I wound up blaming Sakura, when the only one I had to blame… was me."  
I sat down, a few tears drip, drip, dripping from my eyes to the floor. "I'm such an idiot. I'm already the the worst Cardcaptor ever, and I've only been one for 5 minutes."  
To my surprise, a small body wrapped itself around my arm.  
"K… Kero?"  
"You're not an idiot, and you can't blame yourself, Tarah. The cards would've come unsealed with or without you wanting to be a Cardcaptor. Just think of it this way: the cards got a better Cardcaptor than they could have ever imagined."  
He touched my face with his paw. "You're strong, Tarah. I know it. Maybe even stronger than Sakura."  
"Doubt that," I sniffed.  
"You are. Now come on, Kid. Let's get upstairs before your brother gets home."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

So now I'm a Cardcaptor.  
This is like my most awesome dream and a little bit like a nightmare. It's so confusing. I'm a little scared, to be honest.  
But stuff is still happening, and I'm still supposed to be telling you about the past.  
So, on with the story.

~^~^~^~

I was finished with my homework, trying to sneakily write my name on the card without Talia grabbing it or Corey seeing it.  
A wrestling bell chimed in my head. Success!  
I ran up to my room.  
"Kero!" I said as I walked in.  
"Ooph!" he said, as I accidentally hit him with the door.  
"You know, you'd think you'dve learned not to stand in the doorway by now with your experience with Sakura!"  
"Aw, shaddup!" He rubbed his forehead.  
I grabbed an ice cube from the glass I had brought up with me and tossed it to him.  
"Thanks, kid," he replied. He looked around for a minute. "You know, your room looks completely different from Sakura's. I wasn't expecting such a difference."  
I blushed. So far, my room was decortated with boxes full of my sports stuff, a woodsy-style picture I took when I was eight, a green and brown tiedye bedspread, woodsy pillows, and my sports trophies. I kept my secret love of Cardcaptor Sakura to myself.  
"Whatever!" I said.  
Kero laughed. "So did you manage to write your name on the card?"  
I pulled it from my pocket. "Yep!"  
He snatched it. "Is that… Chinese writing? And Japanese? What language is this?" he asked.  
"It's a hybrid," I said. "I'm actually from China, but I'm supposed to be writing in Japanese, so when I'm at home, I use a hybrid I made up."  
"Hmm…"  
"What?"  
"Nothing…"  
"Kero, what is it?"  
"Well, it's just… your handwriting… it looks a lot like Li's."  
"You're kidding."  
"Nope. Especially when he had first come to Japan."  
I stopped for a second. I tried to figure out why that had sparked a memory… wait. Li had come to compete with Sakura for the cards.  
"I can't help but wonder…" I blurted out.  
"Wonder what?"  
"Well… Sakura had Li competing with her for the cards, so… am I gonna have a competitor, too…?"  
Kero stopped flitting around. He thought for a second. "I… don't know. Have you had any dreams lately?"  
"Yeah, every night. It's normal for teens."  
"Not 13 yet. Three days."  
"Shut up."  
"I meant like the dreams Sakura had."  
"Oh."  
I searched through my 'mental filing cabinet', also known as my brain, trying to remember anything like that. Wait… what did I dream about… this morning!  
"Yeah! I did!"  
"Great! When? What was it about?"  
"Last night! It was like… weird? There was a stuffed ani-" I clamped my hand over my mouth. That was Kero. Uh-oh. Shouldn't call him a stuffed animal. "I mean, you were there, then all these natural disasters, then this figure in front of the moon. Then… three people. One was a boy, two were girls. One's me, I figure. She- I- was holding Sakura's wand. Then the other girl had a sun staff- like Eriol's in the book." Something clicked. "Eriol's canidate. And the boy with the sword…"  
"The equivalent of Li."  
"I'm in deep crud."  
"Which is why," said Kero, tossing the half melted ice into the trash, "We need to get you training."

~^~^~^~

"Watery!" I shouted, for the millionth time. "Lend your power to my key!" I pointed it at the magic tree Kero had made in my back yard. "Grow and make stronger!"  
The water shot out of Sakura's- no, my- wand, and hit the tree. It encased it, making the tree grow. The water evaporated, leaving the tree twice as big.  
"Woo! Good job, Tarah!" yelled Kero. "Now why don't you try destroy?"  
"Kero! Do I have to? I'm tired! Its like 10 at night! And I have school tomorrow! Plus I'm sure being a newbie to magic has nothing to do with it!"  
"Try. It," he growled.  
"Fine." Something clicked from a book I read. "But let me try it my way."  
"Wait, what?!"  
"Watery! Lend your power to my key!" I took a deep breath, half-expecting a backfire. But that's why Kero made me wear this tacky jacket. It's magic proof. I pointed at the tree again. "HADI!"  
I heard Kero scream 'What', but I ignored him. The water blew out of my wand, and- woohoo!- pulverized that magic tree!  
"How in the heck did that work?!" he asked, flying up to me. "You didn't even say destroy!"  
"Yes, I did. In ancient Egyptian."  
"Huh?"  
"Thank Rick Riordan and the Kane Chronicles for that."  
"Those books?"  
"Yup."  
"Great…" he sulked. "The one language I can't understand, and she uses it." He looked back at me. "But it worked, and really powerfully, too, so good for you!"  
Honestly, I have no idea how that worked. Especially with how close to crashing on the couch I was.  
Then I got an idea. I had to try it- even if I passed out for attempting it.  
"Watery!" I said.  
"What are you doing?" asked Kero. Probably thinking, should I take cover?  
"Lend your power to my key! N'dah!" My hands were shaking more than I'd like to admit.  
A watery shield appeared in front of me. I sighed."Woohoo…"  
"What's N'dah mean?"  
"Protect," I answered quietly.  
I turned back towards the shield, blinking. "Return…"  
"That was awesome!" shouted Kero. "You can do that much with just the Watery card?! You're givin Li AND Sakura a run for their money!"  
"Doubt that- again…"  
I was really tired. I had used wayyy too much magic tonight. I was actually trying to hide it, but I was gonna pass out soon.  
I didn't hide it too well, cuz when I opened my eyes again, although I couldn't remember closing them, I was on the grass.  
"Tarah?! Tarah?! Wake up, Tarah!" I knew it was Kero, but his voice was distorted.  
Then I woke up again in my bed. Kero was over me again. "Finally!" He said.  
"What happened?" I asked. I looked over at the clock. It was around 3:30 am.  
"Did you carry me up here yourself?"  
"No. Thank your bro for that. He- I assume- was up going to the bathroom and saw you on the ground. He carried you upstairs. I saw him comin, and managed to turn your wand back. Here." He tossed a charm to me. "I hid, and followed you up. You've been asleep since then."  
"Thanks, Kero. I'm goin back to bed. See ya tomorrow- I mean today."  
"Wait! Where am I gonna sleep?!"  
I scooted over and patted one of the pillows.  
"Good night, Kero."  
He laid down timidly. He probably thought this was weird. Oh, well.  
"Good night, Tarah."


	5. HIATUS MESSAGE

Okay guys, I'm really sorry to all my followers, but I havent updated in like almost a year- and I seriously have no idea where to go with this. If you really want me to continue, you're going to have to wait a fair while until I get done with some other stories. This is frankly failing to hold my attention long enough to continue. I have a lot more ideas that are giving me more excitement than these, and I am so stuck. Until then, though- I hope you'll forgive me, and... well, I guess temporary goodbye! Thank you all for being great fans! I hope we will write with each other again soon! Until then, though- I bid you adeou!

Au Revoir,

RowanAsterCode


End file.
